We were overwhelmed by the response to this year’s Household Hazardous Waste, E-Waste, and Paper Shredding Drive. Last year, we saw about 400 vehicles come through New Albany’s recycling drive. This year? Over 1,200!
That level of interest is a powerful reflection of how much our community—and those beyond it—care about recycling responsibly and protecting the environment. As a City where sustainability is a key pillar, we’re genuinely thrilled to see so many people eager to participate.
That said, the turnout was significantly higher than anticipated. While New Albany’s recycling event was open to all, it was primarily geared toward New Albany residents. Our team worked hard all day, but the volume led to long wait times, and unfortunately, we had to turn some participants away. We want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who came out—and a sincere apology to those we couldn’t accommodate. Our staff and volunteers gave it their all, and while we’re proud of their efforts, the day pushed our operational capacity within a town of 11,000 residents to the limit.
In fact, we had record-breaking results from our e-waste drive. This year, we diverted 20,897 pounds of electronic waste from the landfill – a 176% increase from last year. Paper shredding was also an astounding success. We filled the paper shredding truck nearly to capacity, shredding over 6,000 pounds of paper. While we await the final results from our household hazardous waste collection, one thing is clear: there’s a growing need for more recycling opportunities.
Moving forward, we encourage residents outside the area to seek out recycling options closer to home rather than waiting for one-time events like ours or traveling long distances. Additionally, paper shredding drives are intended to shred truly sensitive materials. Paper materials that do not contain sensitive information can be recycled with your residential recycling services (vendor dependent).
The following is a list of regional locations that accept recyclable items throughout the year:
We want to thank everyone who took the time to participate in this year’s event. Your commitment to responsible recycling and sustainability does not go unnoticed. To those we were sadly unable to accommodate—especially our New Albany residents—we extend our deepest apologies. Please know that your support is greatly appreciated and valued, and we are already taking this year’s experience into account as we evaluate how to improve future events. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and dedication to a cleaner, greener community.
